1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of optoelectronic components and more particularly to an improved housing design for a radiation sending and/or receiving device. Such device may comprise one or more optoelectronic chips, which are generally mounted on a chip supporting part of an electrical lead frame running through a base body. Common applications for such chips may include light emitting diodes (LED).
2. Description of Related Art
Housings for radiation sending and/or receiving devices are generally well known in the art. An example of prior art housings is set out in an article xe2x80x9cSiemens-SMT-TOP-LED-LED""s for Surface Mountingxe2x80x9d, Siemens Components XXVI (1991), Nos. 4-5, pages 147 to 149. This article is herein incorporated by reference. The article discusses the state of the art, as of 1991, of surface mounted TOP LED""s. A side by side comparison of TOP and radial LEDs is set out in FIG. 4 of the article. A perspective view of a TOP LED is shown in FIG. 1 of the article. The figure depicts a rounded portion at the top of the LED along with a side protruding conductor strip or electrode. FIG. 2, of the article, sets or depicts a cross section of the LED suggested in FIG. 1. Herein, a punched conductor strip 1 is encased in a thermoplastic package 2. The package 2 includes a top and bottom portion, the bottom portion being surrounded by the protruding conductor strip ends. The top portion of the package includes slanted, reflective and opposing sidewalls 3. The sidewalls form a circular opening in the top portion of the package within which is mounted semiconductor chip 4. The chip is consecutively mounted on a first portion of the punched conductor strip and further electronically connected (via a bonding wire) with the second portion of the punched conductor strip. The circular opening created by the sidewalls 3 is filled with a transparent epoxy resin. The resin is chosen such that the resin and package material are carefully balanced such that peak thermal stress will not cause mechanical damage. No such consideration is given to the selection of conductor strip 1 material. In operation, where, for example, the chip emits radiation, such radiation is reflected by the side walls 3 and emitted upwards through the window. Returning to FIG. 4 of the article, the SMT LED is mounted within a case and optically coupled to a light guide to the front panel of the case. Application of LED technology includes visual displays both in harsh environments, such as engine compartments, and non-harsh environments, such as home displays.
An embodiment resembling the TOP LED is set out in the instant FIG. 4. Herein, a housing 109 is depicted being generally made of a synthetic reflective material, such as a highly diffusive thermoplastic material as known to one skilled in the art. In the housing 109, a radiation emitting semiconductor chip 101 is mounted on a flat chip carrier portion 102 of a flat surface area of a punched metallic conductor 103. The conductor 103 is punched into two opposing, electrically isolated first and second portions, 103a and 103b, respectively, with chip 101 being mounted on the first portion 103a. The first portion further ends in an external connector 104. Portion 104 facilitates transmission of electrical signals with chip 101, from an external apparatus (not shown), via first portion 103a and carrier portion 102. Chip 101, via bonded wire 111, is electrically connected to second portion 103b of the metal carrier frame. In particular, wire 111 is bonded at area 107 of the second portion 103b. The second portion further ends in external connector 105 which facilitates communication of electrical signals with chip 101, from an external apparatus (not shown) via area 107 of second portion 103b and the connecting wire. Housing 109 further accommodates a transparent window 110 located above and around semiconductor chip 101. The window may be made of any appropriate synthetic material known to one skilled in the art. A top portion of the window 110 is coplanar with a top surface of housing 109. The side and bottom surfaces of 110 window 110 are defined by cooperation of side wall 120 surfaces 112 and carrier frame 103. Sidewall surfaces 112 are angled with respect to frame 103. Side wall surfaces 112 and portions of carrier frame 103 that directly abut window 110 may have reflective properties for select or all radiation present within window 110. Semiconductor 101 may be radiation emissive and/or receptive.
A drawback with the above discussed arrangements, as briefly alluded to in the prior art reference, stems from the delamination of the window 110 carrier frame 103. Such delaminating may result from temperature variations in the housing""s operating environment, such as proximate to an automobile engine or manufacturing (e.g. soldering) requirements. The temperature variations effect the thermal coefficients of the window, side walls and carrier frame causing dimensional changes in each at possibly differing rates. By way of example, frame 103 may be metal and window 110 may be a transparent epoxy resin. Hence, as a result of temperature fluctuations, the window 110 often separates from frame 103. Such gaps result in radiation absorption and/or internal reflections thereby diminishing the amount of radiation being emitted from or incident to chip 101. Hence the operating efficiency of the entire housing is effected. Furthermore, the gap can continue between carrier frame and window to sidewalls 120 starting from the gap between carrier frame 103 and window 110 thereby opening the housing up to moisture penetration which will damage the chip and accelerate delimitation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,696 sets out application of a semiconductor chip in a rounded LED. The reference discloses a method for producing optoelectric semiconductor components wherein the chip carrier is supported by a plastic base and electrodes run through the base. A lens is further mounted above the chip. A cap is form fitted to a holder and attached with the base. The plastic base is one of many arranged successively in a chip carrier strip. The base is injection molded and the component is separated from the chip carrier strip only after the base is produced, the chip is attached and bonded to the electrodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,861 sets out an arrangement for a white light emitted diode. The arrangement includes an inorganic luminous substance pigment powder with luminous substance pigments dispersed in a transparent epoxy casting resin. The material is spaced proximate to a semiconductor radiation source such that the material luminesces, thereby converting the source radiation into a second wavelength. FIG. 3 sets out an embodiment whereby angled sidewalls and a base cooperate to form a bound area for the luminescing material.
German patent DE 19536454 discloses a semiconductor chip mounted on a lead frame and housed in a recess of a component base. A reflective layer is coated on the lead frame so as to reflect radiation emitting from the chip. Angled sidewalls further cooperate with a planar base to form the boundaries of the window.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved housing arrangement for a radiation emitting and/or receiving semiconductor chip to use in TOP LEDs, rounded LEDs and the like. It is a further object to provide a component, which can be implemented so as to enable mass production at reasonable engineering effort and expense and with maximally replicable component characteristics. It is still a further object of the present invention to prolong the life of the component via improved delamination resistance as well as improved radiation reception and emission characteristics. In still a further object of the present invention to increase radiation input/output efficiency with the semiconductor chip.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a basic component design includes a housing having a top portion and a base, said top portion including side walls defining an opening with an open top and a closed bottom; a conductor accommodated within said housing, said conductor having two electrically isolated portions, a first portion having a first end terminating in an electrode external to said housing and a second end having a first open area exposed along said closed bottom such that said first portion is substantially surrounded by said housing but for said open area, and a second portion having a third end terminating in an electrode external to said housing and a fourth end having a second open area exposed along said closed bottom such that said second portion is substantially surrounded by said housing but for said second open area; a semiconductor chip bonded to said first open area such that said semiconductor chip is positioned within said opening and said first open area is limited in area by said housing to substantially only accommodating said semiconductor chip; a wire having a first end bonded to said semiconductor chip and a second end bonded to said second open area such that said wire is positioned within said opening and said second open area is limited by said housing to substantially only accommodate said wire bond; and a window formed within said opening such that a top of said window is coplanar with a top of said housing. By this arrangement, delamination between the window and conductor is minimized and/or essentially eliminated.
In a second embodiment, the first and second conductor portions are in a first plane and said first and second open area are in a second plane. This can be effected by cropping the conductor strips such that the surface area reserved for bonding the semiconductor chip and wire are elevated above the remaining strip area of the same plane. As such, the conductor strips or portions may reside together in a first plane or individually in a first and second plane; and the open areas may likewise reside in a third plane together or in a third and fourth plane individually. Further by this arrangement, the bottom surface of the opening is essentially planar, such that contact between the transparent window accommodated within the opening and the conductor, now accommodated within the housing below the opening bottom surface, is minimized such that delamination between the window and conductor are essentially reduced or eliminated.
By these arrangements numerous design and manufacturing liberties can be taken so as to accommodate complex circuit designs while still maintaining the otherwise minimum contact between window resin and conductor strip. An additional advantage presented by these designs is that the component can be manufactured with otherwise known injection molding and easily fitted into both SMT TOP LED designs as well as rounded designs as would be known to one skilled in the art. An additional advantage lies in the reduction of exposed conductor strip area to incident and/or emitted radiation. Conductor strips have lower incidence of reflection as compared to reflective surfaces normally mounted on the body sidewalls. Likewise, more radiation is generally absorbed by the conductor strips as the reflective sidewalls. As such, minimization of the conductor strip exposure minimizes dark areas and other inefficiencies caused by the strips interactions with incident and/or emitted radiation, with respect to the semiconductor chip. The gains achieved can be further enhanced by selection of a highly reflective synthetic resin for the body material thereby increasing reflection as from the conductor strips by, for example, 80% or more. Any suitable reflective material may be used as known to one skilled in the art.
The invention is explained in greater detail below by reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.